Thinking with Paint: Artisanal Animation in the Age of AI

A short video essay on paint-on-glass animation as a method of capturing memory in a digital era.

Activity Types
Film
Materials
Glass
Paint

Curatorial Research Assistant Agrani Rasgotra features the Animate Materials Workshop alongside her thesis film Bus 104 in this short video essay asking: “As synthetic and algorithmically generated footage proliferates, how can filmmakers retain a meaningful connection to the tangible world?” Rasgotra explores paint-on-glass animation as a record of collaboration between artist and material through her curatorial analysis and research creation practice.

This video was created for the 2026 SSHRC Storyteller’s Challenge, which asks students to showcase SSHRC-funded research happening at their postsecondary institutions.


Credits:

Written & Directed by Agrani Rasgotra
Videography by Justin Zhao
Production Assistance by the Animate Materials Workshop

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